Confidential Six-Figure Settlement: Medical Malpractice/Wrongful Death

Diabetic Improperly Instructed to Discontinue Taking Insulin

A 47 year-old type 1 insulin-dependent diabetic was improperly instructed to discontinue taking insulin for a two-day period in order to undergo a routine colonoscopy. The patient developed diabetic ketoacidosis leading to death. The defendant gastroenterologist who was called after the patient had been released failed to appreciate that the patient was vomiting repeatedly and in great pain as the result of the ketoacidosis.

The defendant physician, who was on call when telephoned by the patient's wife, was admittedly drinking scotch at a meeting of other gastroenterologists hosted by a pharmaceutical company. The medical examiner called this physician shortly after the patient's death was reported and noted that the physician's speech was slurred. This case was settled for a confidential six-figure sum approximately 1½ years after the filing of the lawsuit.

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